Militia loyal to fugitive President Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi battled rebels attempting to advance on a port in the city's Mualla district, witnesses said.

Four loyalist militiamen were killed and 12 wounded, a medic at a military hospital said.

Six Shiite Huthi rebels were killed, an army source said.

Residents said that the loyalists had pushed the rebels further from the port, as warships of the Saudi-led coalition shelled rebel positions across Aden.

Mualla is not Aden's main port but it has been the focus of fierce fighting in recent days. On Monday, medics and officials said 53 people had been killed in fighting in the area over the previous 24 hours.